1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an manure, and particularly, a fertilizer with a chelate element comprising an oxycarboxylic acid and a metal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fertilizers are applied to soil to supply nutrition to agricultural products for increasing the yield and to prevent degradation of the fertility of the soil. It is known to supply, to soil, large amounts of three major manurial components of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) indispensable for growth of plants. Nitrogen serves to promote synthesis of protein in a plant, division and multiplication of cells, growth of the roots and sufficient upgrowth of the leaves and stems and to advance absorption and the anabolism of the nutrition. Phosphorus is effective to accelerate growth of the roots to increase the nutrition absorbing area of them and to activate the germination. In addition, it contributes to hasten maturation of plants and increase the yield of seeds and fruits. Also, phosphorus is useful to enhance generation of starch and activity of the enzymes and microorganisms, to prevent noxious insects and to improve quality of the harvest. Potassium is efficacious to synthesize carbohydrates and nitrogen compounds, to promote anabolism, growth of the roots, flowering and fruitage to adjust evaporation of the water supplied and to increase the resistance to damages by cold weather and harmful insects. In addition to three major manurial components, the fertilizer may contain calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), silicon (Si), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), iron (Fe), and boron (B) to directly or indirectly assist the good growth of plants.
Any fertilizer is required to contain larger amounts of effective components, without disadvantageous, substances so that it allows large scale production of crops through easy treatment and inexpensive process with a low hygroscopicity and caking. In recent years, upgraded agricultural products have been required at a request of consumers who require high quality of crops with good appearance in color and luster, excellent aroma and delicious taste. Also, the consumers have needed the medicinal efficacy of the agricultural products which satisfies their health desire so that the fertilizers must be ameliorated to improve quality of the agricultural products.
An object of the present invention is to provide a fertilizer which contains a chelate effective to cultivate agricultural products with their good color, excellent aroma and delicious taste as well as antiseptic and fungicidal. Another object of the present invention is to provide fertilizer with a chelate element capable of cultivating agricultural products which can generate active enzymes in a living body ingesting the products so that the active enzymes are effective to detoxify hydrogen peroxide, organic peroxides, carcinogenic substances with anti-oxidation.
The fertilizer according to the present invention comprises on the basis of weight 0.01 to 4 parts of a compound of metal for forming the central metal of the chelate, 1 to 5 parts of an oxycarboxylic acid, 2 to 8 parts of a potassic element, 0.1 to 1 part of a nitrogenous element, and 0.01 to 2 parts of a phosphorus element to provide a pH value of 6.0 to 7.5 when mixed with water. When a living body ingests the agricultural product cultivated with the fertilizer, the chelate can derive glutathione S-transferase (GST) molecular species which catalyze the detoxicating reaction of the electrophillic compound by the S-bonded reaction of the electrophillic compound and nucleophillic reduction-type glutathione peroxidase.
When the chelate comprises oxycarboxylic acid and metal, it can constitute enzymes which would produce various detoxifying and anti-oxidation effects, because the chelate provides an active center incorporated in the peptide chain to be subjected to oxidation-reduction in substrate. The generated enzymes act as a catalyst for reduction reaction into water or alcohol of hydrogen peroxide water, organic peroxides, and other highly reactive electrophillic compound. The electrophillic compound is derived from hydroxylation of various medicines comprising a chemical carcinogen, and the electrophillic compound causes mutation, carcinogenesis, a cytotoxic effect and the like, when it produces a covalent bond with the nucleophillic portion of DNA or protein, but, if a living body ingests an agricultural product cultivated with the fertilizer according to the present invention, the chelate certainly derives an active enzyme or glutathione S-transferase (GST) molecular species which can catalyze the S-bonded reaction of an electrophillic compound and nucleophillic reduction-type glutathione peroxidase (GSH) for detoxification.
Detailed embodiments of the fertilizer according to the present invention are described hereinafter.
The fertilizer with a chelate element according to the present invention, comprises on the basis of weight 0.01 to 4 parts of a compound of metal for forming the central metal of the chelate, 1 to 5 parts of an oxycarboxylic acid, 2 to 8 parts of a potassic element, 0.1 to 1 part of a nitrogenous element, and 0.01 to 2 parts of a phosphorus element, providing a pH value of 6.0 to 7.5 when mixed with water. The fertilizer can derive glutathione S-transferase molecular species when a living body ingests an agricultural product cultivated with the fertilizer.
If the amount of the compound of metal is under 0.01 part or if the amount of the oxycarboxylic acid is under 1 part, no chelate compound will be generated. Although the amount of the compound of metal exceeds 4 parts, the effect of the fertilizer would be kept unchanged, but it must be required to prevent contamination of the soil by an excessive amount of the compound of metal accumulated therein. The amount of the oxycarboxylic acid over 5 parts will disadvantageously make the chelate compound unstable. The amount of the potassic element under 2 parts will prepare no sufficient amounts of carbohydrates and nitrogen compounds. The amount of the nitrogenous fertilizer under 0.1 part will generate no sufficient amount of protein. The amount of the phosphorus element under 0.01 part will be unable to sufficiently promote growth of the roots of agricultural products. The amounts of potassic element over 8 parts, nitrogenous element over 1 part, and phosphorus element over 2 parts will undesirably supply an excessive amount of the fertilizer in the soil with unchanged physiologic action of each fertilizer and with a possible ill effect on the soil. The. pH value of the fertilizer under 6.0 will result in possibility of the soil contamination due to the excessive acidity, and the pH value over 7.5 will affect the stability of the complex.
The fertilizer may further comprise at least an additional acid selected from the group of saccharic acid, fatty acid and mixture thereof in the total amount: 1 to 5 parts of the oxycarboxylic acid and the additional acid. The compound of metal is selected from groups of germanium compound, selenium compound and mixture thereof. Specifically, the fertilizer may comprise 0.05 to 2 parts of germanium acetate as the chelate element, 1.5 to 2.5 parts of glyceric acid as the ocarboxylic acid, 5 to 7 parts of a potassic element, 0.1 to 0.5 parts of a nitrogenous element, and 0.03 to 1 part of a phosphorus element by weight to provide a pH value of 6.8 to 7.3 when mixed with water. Otherwise, the fertilizer may comprise 0.03 to 2 parts of selenium trioxide (SeO3) as the chelate element or a compound of metal, 0.5 to 1.5 parts of citric acid, 0.5 to 1.5 parts of pentaric acid as a saccharic acid, 0.5 to 1.5 parts of acetic acid as a fatty acid, 3 to 5 parts of a potassic element, 0.3 to 0.8 parts of a nitrogenous element, and 0.5 to 1 part of a phosphorus element by weight to provide a pH value of 6.3 to 7.0 when mixed with water. The fertilizer may comprise at least an additional acid selected from the group of saccharic acid, fatty acid and mixture thereof in the total amount: 1 to 5 parts of oxycarboxylic acid and additional acid. The compound of metal is preferably a germanium compound or a selenium compound. The fertilizer preferably comprises 0.05 to 2 parts of germanium acetate (Ge(CH3CO2)4) as a compound of metal, 1.5 to 2.5 parts of glyceric acid as an oxycarboxylic acid, 5 to 7 parts of a potassic element, 0.1 to 0.5 parts of a nitrogenous element, and 0.03 to 1 part of a phosphorus element by weight to provide a pH value of 6.8 to 7.3 when mixed with water. Also, the fertilizer preferably comprises 0.03 to 2 parts of selenium trioxide, 0.5 to 1.5 parts of citric acid, 0.5 to 1.5 parts of pentaric acid, 0.5 to 1.5 parts of acetic acid, 3 to 5 parts of a potassic element, 0.3 to 0.8 parts of a nitrogenous element, and 0.5 to 1 part of a phosphorus element by weight to provide a pH value of 6.3 to 7.0 when mixed with water.
The raw material for the compound of metal preferably includes metal chlorides, metallic salts, such as a sulfate, a nitrate, a phosphate, an acetate, a silicate, and a borate, metal oxides, metal hydroxides to form the central metal of the chelate compound. The central metal of the chelate compound should be one or more selected from the groups of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), titanium (Ti), gallium (Ga), selenium (Se), germanium (Ge), vanadium (Va), chromium (Cr), silver (Ag), strontium (Sr), indium (In), tin (Sn), gold (Au) and zirconium (Zr).
The term xe2x80x9coxycarboxylic acidxe2x80x9d means organic compounds having a carboxyl group and one or more hydroxyl groups in one molecule, also as called xe2x80x9cmoxyacidxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9calcohol acidxe2x80x9d excluding saccharic acid and fatty acid. The term xe2x80x9csaccharic acidxe2x80x9d means polyhydroxy-dicarboxylic acids and is also called aldanic acid, glyraric acid, aldaric acid, or saccharic acid which can be derived from an aldose with both ends of an aldehyde group and a carbinol group oxidized to a carboxylic group. The xe2x80x9cfatty acidxe2x80x9d generally refers to a fatty monocarboxylic acid, however, except oxycarboxylic acid and without hydroxyl group (OH) herein.
Preferable oxycarboxylic acid includes a fatty oxyacid such as glycolic acid (HOxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94COOH), lactic acid (CH3xe2x80x94CH(OH)xe2x80x94COOH), hydroacrylic acid (HOxe2x80x94CH2CH2xe2x80x94COOH), xcex1-oxybutyric acid (CH3CH2CH(OH)xe2x80x94COOH), glyceric acid (HOxe2x80x94CH2CH(OH)xe2x80x94COOH), mandelic acid (C6H5xe2x80x94CH(OH)xe2x80x94OOH) and tropic acid (c6H5xe2x80x94CH(CH2OH)xe2x80x94COOH); and an aromatic oxyacid such as salicylic acid (C7H6O3), m-oxybenzoic acid (C7H6O3), p-oxybenzoic acid (C7H6O3) and gallic acid (C7H6O5). The fatty oxyacid may include a fatty carboxylic acid or an aromatic carboxylic acid with an alcoholic hydroxyl group in the side chain. The aromatic oxyacid may include an aromatic carboxylic acid with an alcoholic hydroxyl group in the ring.
Preferable saccharic acid (HOOCxe2x80x94(CHOH)nxe2x80x94COOH) may include pentaric acid (HOOCxe2x80x94(CHOH)3xe2x80x94COOH), and hexalic acid (HOOCxe2x80x94(CHOH)4xe2x80x94COOH) including gluconic acid. Preferable fatty acid may include a saturated fatty acid such as formic acid (Hxe2x80x94COOH), acetic acid (CH3xe2x80x94COOH), propionic acid (CH3CH2xe2x80x94COOH), lauric acid (CH3(CH2)10xe2x80x94COOH), myristic acid (CH3(CH2)12xe2x80x94COOH), palmitic acid (CH3(CH2)14xe2x80x94COOH) and stearic acid (CH3(CH2)16xe2x80x94COOH); and an unsaturated fatty acid such as acrylic acid (CH2xe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94COOH), crotonic acid (CH3CHxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94COOH), oleic acid (CH3(CH2)7CHxe2x95x90CH(CH2)7xe2x80x94COOH), sorbic acid (CH3CHxe2x95x90CHCHxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94COOH), linoleic acid (CH3(CH2)4CHxe2x95x90CHCH2CHxe2x95x90CH(CH2)7xe2x80x94COOH) and linolenic acid(C18H30O2). Preferable potassic element may include potassium chloride (KCl), potassium sulfate (K2SO4), Carnallite (KCl.MgCl2.6H2O), potash ores (containing KCl or K2SO4), bittern potassium salt (KCl(+NaCl+MgSO4)), plant and wood ashes (K2CO3+KHCO3), kelp ashes (KCl+K2SO4), cement dust (sulfate, carbonate, and silicate) and blast furnace dust (carbonate and sulfate). Preferable nitrogenous element may include ammoniacal nitrogen such as ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4), ammonium chloride (NH4Cl), ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), ammonium phosphate ((NH4)2HPO4, NH4H2PO4), aqua ammonia (NH4OH), ammoniated peat (organic acid ammonium salt), ammoniated calcium superphosphate (NH4H2PO4+(NH4)2SO4 and the like), ammonium sulfate nitrate ((NH4)2SO4+NH4NO3), Ammophos ((NH4)2SO4+(NH4)2HPO4), ammonium sulfate phosphate ((NH4)2SO4+(NH4)2HPO4), human manure (ammonium salt) and stable manure (ammonium salt); nitrate nitrogen such as ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), Chile saltpeter (NaNO3), nitrate of lime (Ca(NO3)2), potassium nitrate (KNO3), ammonium sulfate nitrate ((NH4)2SO4+NH4NO3), nitrochalk (NH4NO3+CaCO3) and Calurea (Ca(NO3)2.4CO(NH2)2); cyanamide nitrogen such as lime nitrogen (CaCN2); urea nitrogen such as urea (CO(NH2)2), and Calurea (Ca(NO3)2.4CO(NH2)2); amino nitrogen such as urea-formaldehyde (Uraform) (CO(NH2)2xe2x80x94HCHO condensate), oxamide (NH2xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94NH2), guanylurea salt ([NH2xe2x80x94C(NH)xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94NH2].X, where X is HCl, H2SO4, HNO3, H3PO3 and the like), guanidine salt ([NH2xe2x80x94C(NH)xe2x80x94NH2].X, where X is HCl, H2SO4, HNO3, H3PO3 and the like) and ammoniated peat (containing CO(NH2)2); and protein nitrogen such as fish manure (containing NH2, NH) and soybean cake (containing NH2, NH).
Preferable phosphorus element may contain calcium superphosphate (Ca(H2PO4)2+CaSO4), concentrated superphosphate (Ca(H2PO4)2), surpentine-superphosphate (calcium superphosphate+surpentine), fused magnesium phosphate (CaOxe2x80x94MgOxe2x80x94P2O5SiO2 glass), calcined phosphate (Ca3 (PO4)2xe2x80x94CaNaPO4 sclid solution), phosphate mixture (calcium superphosphate (concentrated superphosphate)+fused magnesium phosphate), ground phosphate rock (Ca3(PO4)2), precipitated phosphate (CaHPO4), ammonium sulfate phosphate ((NH4)2SO4+NH4H2PO4), potassium sulfate ammonium phosphate ((NH4)2SO4+NH4H2PO4+K2SO4), ball fertilizer (ammonium sulfate+calcium superphosphate+potassium salt+peat, where the form of phosphate is Ca(H2PO4)2), and compound fertilizer (Ca(H2PO4)2, CaHPO4, Ca3(HPO4)2 and the like).
The fertilizer according to the present invention contains a chelate compound which consists of an oxycarboxylic acid and a metal in such a complex that a living body can easily absorb the metal, and therefore this fertilizer is very effective to cultivate agricultural products, such as vegetables, with their good color, excellent aroma and delicious taste, and antiseptic and fungus resistant properties. It also has been found that, when a living body ingests the agricultural product cultivated with the fertilizer according to the present invention, the chelate can generate in the living body active enzymes which produce a detoxifying effect on hydrogen peroxide, organic peroxides, carcinogenic substances and a resistance to oxidation.